Back to the future: Nike designer touts 2015 arrival for Marty McFly’s Power Laces
Back in 2011, Nike MAGs brought the futuristic looks of Marty McFly to the feet of sneaker collectors. There was just one problem: the fashionably-lit footwear from Back to the Future II was lacking its key feature. Well, now it seems that the iconic Power Laces will finally arrive in 2015. Nike designer Tinker Hatfield confirmed that the closure is on the way next year at a recent appearance at the Jordan Brand’s Flight Lab. “Are we gonna see Power Laces in 2015? To that, I say yes!,” Hatfield said. In case you’ve forgotten, the pair of MAGs in the movie were all the rage in 2015, so the schedule lines up. As the folks over at Sole Collector note, the question remains whether we’ll see a new Power Lace-equipped version of the MAGs or if the add-on will arrive on a completely new model that laces itself. If you’re not into waiting or high-tech sneakers, the 2011 release is currently available on eBay for around $8,000.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Sole Collector
This three-year-old pizza won’t kill you
It’s the zombie apocalypse, and the only items on the menu are a year-old pizza and cockroach sashimi — which would you choose? Well, if that pepperoni-smattered pie came from the US Army’s Natick Labs, you’ve hit the jackpot. A team of food scientists at the facility are apparently hard at work developing pizza that can stay good for up to three years, specifically for deployed soldiers’ pre-packaged meals. In fact, they just finished making a prototype this February.
It took the team two years to perfect the current recipe, because you can’t just dip slices in vats of preservatives and hope for the best. They used humectants (ingredients like sugars, salts and syrups) to keep the crust from being soggy and changed the acidity of the sauce, dough and cheese to prevent bacterial growth. While the prototype’s nowhere near ready for distribution, the munchie experts’ taste testers claim it’s as good as something you’d “get from a pizza parlor.” They didn’t mention if it’s more of a Papa John’s or a Little Caesar’s, but hey, at least it’s not made out of pulverized insects.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne]
Source: AP
LG’s L Series III budget smartphones tout KitKat and smart covers
LG isn’t just bringing high-end smartphones like the G Pro 2 to Mobile World Congress — it’s also launching its L Series III phones for the budget-minded among us. The 3.5-inch L40, 4.5-inch L70 and 4.7-inch L90 are subtle evolutions of the Optimus L II range in terms of hardware. All of them sport faster 1.2GHz dual-core processors and refined designs that are more in line with the company’s higher-end devices. There’s a larger 1GB of RAM on the L70 and L90, too. However, the real stars of the show are the L Series III’s software and accessories. They’re some of the first big-name budget phones to run Google’s efficient Android 4.4 KitKat; they’re also LG’s first non-flagship devices to support optional Quick Window covers, letting you check an incoming call without exposing the whole screen. There’s no word as to when these third-generation handsets will hit store shelves, although they’re built for markets where 3G data is the best you’ll get. In other words, don’t expect them to reach LTE-obsessed American carriers any time soon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: Korea Newswire (translated)
Cryten Icon Pack by Viktor Vucinic: Vertumus goes faded in this great icon Pack
I haven’t been in the icon game for a long time, but when something catches my eye, I like to check it out. That’s exactly what happened when I first saw the Cryten Icon Pack by Viktor Vucinic. Also going by the tag Vertumus, Vucinic’s icon pack goes with a faded, almost Instagram filter-like appearance, which I think works really well with the included wallpapers, and creates a really nice, soft look to your icons which is a stark contrast to the more standard colour saturated icons. Let’s check out what they look like in person:
I have to say this is one of my favourite icon packs so far. As I said in the video, I’m a huge fan of how even the unthemed apps all get the same treatment that the themed ones do so you are never really able to tell which ones are themed or not at a quick glance. That’s obviously helped by the fact that the Cryten icon pack features over 1280+ icons now which does cover a large majority of the mainstream apps. Pair that with 33 minimalistic HD wallpapers and you’ll have one beautiful looking homescreen. Cryten’s full list of features are, as per its Google Play Store page:
- 1280+ HD icons for your phone (144×144)
- Icon masking will theme all your unthemed icons
- Launchers support: Apex, Nova, Holo, Adw, Action, Cancel, Smart and many more
- Works with every launcher using unicon
- Many alternative icons to chose
- 33 HD Wallpapers
- Ability to change your app theme (Holo and Holo.Light)
- Languages: DE, ES, FR, IT, RU, PT, BR and SR
- Updates 1-2 per week
- Simple and minimalistic app interface in Holo style
You can pick up the Cryten icon pack on the Google Play Store now for $1.49 USD; Play Store links will be below. Also follow Viktor ‘Vertumus’ Vucinic on Google+ for sneak peeks of what he has coming next.
Icons: Cryten Icon Pack
Price: $1.49
Microsoft reportedly prepping Office for iPad to release in the first half of 2014
While Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone released last summer and we’ve yet to see software release for Apple tablets. Not only is the slate-focused productivity suite alive and well, it’s apparently going to launch before July. ZDNet reports that development of Office for iPad (codenamed Miramar) could allow for its debut ahead of the touch-friendly Windows 8 version. This means that the previously reported fall 2014 timeline has been accelerated, and Microsoft may release the iPad version as soon as it’s ready — rather than keeping it under wraps until Q3. As Mary Jo Foley notes, the iOS package will likely require an Office 365 subscription and tap into OneDrive as its main storage repository. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see — but that wait could be shorter than initially expected.
Filed under: Tablets, Software
Via: The Verge
Source: ZDNet
Titanfall switches to an open beta on Xbox One today, PC will follow soon
Xbox One owners furiously refreshing their inboxes (or Respawn founder Vince Zampella’s Twitter feed) looking for Titanfall beta codes can step away from the F5 button — it’s switching to an open beta. According to Major Nelson, it will appear on your console under the new game demos section, although it may take some time before everyone sees it. PC owners aren’t entirely left out of the fun either, as Zampella indicates that version will follow “maybe tomorrow.”
The beta was originally scheduled to run until Tuesday night at 9PM ET, but that’s going to be extended at least one day after server issues kept players offline most of Friday night. The plan is to “max stress” the all-multiplayer game’s servers before it launches March 11th, but if you just want to find out if the former Call of Duty team can successfully blend a 6v6 shooter with mech action (a: seems like it) then it should work for that too.
Great news: The @Titanfallgame Beta will be opening up to all Xbox One users. Details on my blog http://t.co/Do12xhSsK6
– Larry Hryb (@majornelson) February 16, 2014
Ok, just heard from @jonshiring. His words are ‘Let’s break it’, so the plan is to make the beta fully open and have you max stress it!
– Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) February 16, 2014
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Major Nelson
Lenovo CEO: Motorola will be profitable in a “couple of quarters”
Lenovo has been making the headlines with their recent acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.91 billion. Needless to say, investors in Lenovo are somewhat concerned given Google’s posted loses with the company since its acquisition, but Lenovo’s Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing and Chief Financial Officer Wong Waiming took part in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
On the topic of turning around an unprofitable business, Yang said that they have already identified areas where they can cut expenses due to the significant economies of scale that the Motorola acquisition will give Lenovo.
When we complete the acquisition, from day one, we can start working on those cost synergies. Most likely it will take a couple of quarters to turn around the Motorola business. But I definitely believe we can have a profitable business over time.
Yang was also very vocal in stating that they plan to fully utilise the Motorola brand to build more products and take advantage of Lenovo’s vast operational resources.
Lenovo seem very confident that they can turn Motorola’s steep losses around and keep it from hurting the Lenovo brand.
For the short term, it could have a certain negative impact on our performance. But for the long term, I think this acquisition will be good for our shareholders and for the future of Lenovo.
Lenovo seem to know what they’re doing here, and despite investors not being completely comfortable with their vision, the CEO and CFO certainly seem to know how they will utilise Motorola.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below – is it a good acquisition for Lenovo?
The post Lenovo CEO: Motorola will be profitable in a “couple of quarters” appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HTC: New Flagship devices to get major updates for 2 years
Hoping to open up a session to hear what their customers had to think, HTC hosted an Ask Me Anything on Reddit, taking questions on pretty much anything. Something we highlighted as predictably being a major topic for discussion was the updates situation on the devices, and as expected it was of hot discussion.
Going forward, HTC have committed to bringing all major Android updates to its new flagship devices for two years after their release date.
The controversy comes after the company announced that their once supposed flagship One X and X+ device won’t make it past Android 4.2.
The HTC One has since received fairly steady and quick updates, and it seems HTC want this to continue with their future flagship handsets – fantastic news for future HTC users that their expensive handset won’t become outdated within a few months of being released.
The post HTC: New Flagship devices to get major updates for 2 years appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Launching Updated iPad Air in 2014, No 12.9-Inch iPad or New iPad Mini Until 2015
Apple may be preparing to introduce an upgraded iPad Air this year and will likely hold off the release of a 12.9-inch “iPad Pro” and a newer iPad mini until next year, KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo states in a new research note. The analyst believes that a new iPad Air with an A8 processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be the only new tablet that Apple introduces this year, as the company focuses on shifting its resources from the Retina iPad Mini towards developing the 12.9-inch iPad. Kuo estimates that the larger iPad will debut early next year or late this year with limited supply.
12.9-inch iPad (left) with 13-inch MacBook Air (right)
Compared with lower-margin iPad mini with Retina display, which shipments has been tepid, higher-margin iPad Air was a hot selling item in 4Q13, which will slow Apple in developing new iPad mini models. We believe Apple plans to launch upgraded iPad Air early this year, and will accelerate development of 12.9” iPad. As such, more resources will be allocated to these two products, which will affect the progress of the development of new iPad mini. All told, we think chances of the debut of a new iPad mini in 2H14 are slim. In addition, the 12.9” iPad is unlikely to be offered in 2014. For these reasons, we predict the only new iPad product in 2H14 will be the upgraded iPad Air.
In his research note, Kuo also states that the 12.9-inch iPad will act as a driver in allowing developers to create more interactive apps for a bigger screen. However, the analyst notes that Apple has prioritized developing the operating system for the iWatch this year, with plans to release its smart watch in 2014. Kuo also predicts that Apple will restart mass production of the iPad 4 in Q1 2014 as Apple looks to wind down iPad 2 production after a three-year run, which was reported earlier this week. Overall, the analyst predicts the iPad shipments will fall from 34 million units in the 1st half of 2013 to below 30 million units in the first half of 2014.
Kuo shared similar thoughts on the possibility of a 12.9-inch iPad last October, stating that the sixth-generation iPad would contain a 30-40% higher pixel density instead of a bigger screen. Various reports throughout the past couple of months have stated that Apple is targeting a late Q3 2014 launch for the iPad Pro, with some indicating that the device could be aimed toward the enterprise market.
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Alt-week 02.15.14: our brains on emoticons and making Fantastic Voyage a reality
Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days.
The theme this week has something of an evolutionary tone to it. When did live birth in reptiles really begin? When might we be able to control tiny rockets inside living cells in the body? And, most importantly, how did we start recognising this: 
as a face? You know the drill: this is alt-week.
Emoticons. Now that your mom uses them, not so cool. But we can’t deny that we’ve become accustomed to them through constant bombardment. So much so, that there’s no effort required to determine the intended facial expression. It won’t always have been like this though, and some scientists in Australia wanted to figure out what was going on in the brain when we decipher them. The work, carried out by a team at Flinders University, Adelaide, wanted to discover whether the now ubiquitous emoticon triggered face-specific mechanisms in the brain, or whether something else was going on. The reality is… a bit of both. Subjects were shown a series of images that included faces, common emoticons and meaningless strings of characters. When the popular smiley combination was shown in its most used orientation [ ] it engaged similar parts of the brain as facial recognition. Interestingly, inverting it ( giving the rather egregious (-: ) the response was much less profound. Something that isn’t true for human faces (i.e. we respond the same more or less however they are presented to us). Effectively, the paper suggests that while similar mechanisms ultimately come into play, the difference in recognition between the two orientations, and tests on babies that show zero response to either configuration mean that this definitely a learned response. We thought as much :o)
Get the director of Inner Space on the phone, he’s gonna wanna hear this. A team at Penn State University has managed to place a tiny motor inside a living cell (actually many cells), and propel it using an acoustic motor. These “nanomotors” can be guided around the cells, and may lead to a better understanding of internal mechanisms and cell biology. Tom Mallouk, Evan Pugh Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics at the University even suggests nanomotos could help the fight against cancer by enabling direct access to for intracellular surgery and even drug delivery. Before now, the nanomotors had only been deployed in test environments (and not living cells). The team themselves has made the obvious analogy, hoping that one day it could lead to a Fantastic Voyage approach to medicine, which, while a little creepy to think about, will undoubtedly be more than one scientists’ dream fulfilled.
If you’ve ever accidentally left your camera set to a second-long exposure, you know that even that short amount of time makes it almost impossible to capture moving action with any clarity. Fossils — nature’s photography if you will — are dependant on even more delicate and variable conditions (not least the chance an animal might expire at the right time and location, and nothing else finds it first). That’s what makes this image of an ichthyosaurs (a Chaohusaurus marine reptile) giving birth all the more astonishing. Not only is it impressive for the moment it captures, it’s also the oldest known evidence of live reptile birth — proving that vivipary had been taking place much longer than previously believed. The fossil site suggests the mother was on terra-firma at the time of her demise, which also indicates that live birth was something that may have evolved on land, rather than in the water as previously believed. The 248-million-year-old fossil is from the Mesozoic era which spans 252 to 66 million years ago and actually shows three embryos in total. One inside the mother, one exiting the pelvis, and another fully outside.
Seen any other far-out articles that you’d like considered for Alt-week? Working on a project or research that’s too cool to keep to yourself? Drop us a line at alt [at] engadget [dot] com.
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